Linz cooling towers test positive for Legionella after three deaths
Friday 21st August 2026 on 12:00 in
Austria
Linz health authorities are investigating cooling towers as a possible source of Legionella infections after three people died from Legionnaires’ disease, ORF Upper Austria reported. Experts believe there may be at least one or more additional sources of infection.
More than half of the 150 samples collected so far have been analysed. Legionella was detected in cooling towers operated by Linz AG, the city’s water supplier.
The cooling towers are part of Linz AG’s district cooling project, which is intended to cool hospitals and senior centres during hot summers. Legionella has spread within the system, according to the report.
Authorities are examining every water system in Linz, from large pipe networks to small devices in restaurants that disperse water vapour. The key question is how the cooling towers could have infected people, since they release only small amounts of vapour.
Helmut Salzer, an infectious disease specialist in Linz, said simply walking past the towers would not be enough to cause an infection. A person would need contact with the vapour cloud and a sufficient dose of Legionella, he said. Such aerosols could remain in the air for some time, meaning they would not necessarily have to be inhaled immediately.
Even so, Salzer said this does not provide a conclusive explanation for the cases in Linz. Experts expect at least one or more additional Legionella sources to be identified.
Investigators face delays because it takes 10 to 14 days to detect Legionella in water. Salzer said every day was important because the mortality rate from this highly aggressive form of pneumonia was relatively high. One in 10 infected people can die even without pre-existing conditions, he said.
Linz Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart of the Austrian People’s Party called for full transparency and a complete investigation from Mayor Dietmar Prammer, who also chairs the Linz AG supervisory board. Hajart also questioned the role of Health Councillor Michael Raml and the city’s public health supervision.
“While the people of Linz understandably want to know what is behind this Legionella wave, the mayor and the health councillor have largely disappeared from public view,” Hajart said.